Breakdown of Det er faktisk lige lovlig overbeskyttende at ringe til ham hver dag.
være
to be
det
it (neuter)
ham
him
at
to
Questions & Answers about Det er faktisk lige lovlig overbeskyttende at ringe til ham hver dag.
How does lige lovlig differ from just saying for (too) in this sentence?
While for overbeskyttende simply means 'too overprotective', lige lovlig adds a softening nuance. It translates roughly to 'a bit too' or 'slightly too'. Danes often use it to make a criticism sound more diplomatic, understated, or conversational.
Does lovlig here have anything to do with the law?
Literally, yes: lovlig means 'legal' or 'lawful'. However, in the fixed phrase lige lovlig, it has lost its literal meaning. It functions as an idiom meaning 'a bit too', originally developing as a mildly ironic way to suggest something is just pushing the limit of what is acceptable.
Why doesn't the adjective overbeskyttende get a -t ending to match the neuter subject det?
Overbeskyttende (overprotective) is formed from the present participle of a verb, which you can spot by the -ende suffix. When present participles are used as adjectives, they are indeclinable in Danish, meaning they never change to add a -t (for neuter) or an -e (for plural or definite).
Why do we need the word til in ringe til ham? Couldn't we just say ringe ham?
No, you cannot drop til here. While in English you 'call someone', the Danish verb at ringe (when meaning to telephone) requires the preposition til before the person receiving the call.